I am probably going to donate this fish to the Natural Science Center in Greensboro, but I just wanted to see if anyone would like to make an offer.

http://greensboro.craigslist.org/for/1024687156.html

Quote :

"I am putting out a feeler for my 3 year-old Volitans Lionfish. I have had him for the past 2 years, given to me by my father who had him for close to a year. He is truly a beautiful fish, but he has gotten too big for his tank (30 gallon) and i need to find a better home for him. I have him weaned off of live food, and have been feeding him a diet of frozen shrimp, squid, and silversides. However, if you prefer to feed him live food, I am sure that would be fine as well. He is probably about 9 or so inches long. I would recommend having a tank 75 gallons or bigger, depending on how many other animals you already have in the tank. WARNING: If you are not familiar with Lionfish, then I do not recommend him for you. Typically they will eat anything that they can fit in their mouths, so if you have smaller fish in your tank already, he would not be a good fit for you. He cleaned out all the live shrimp and crabs in my tank in 48 hours. Also he is poisonous, and his stingers pack quite a punch. A Lionfish sting is fairly similar to a jellyfish sting. I decided to post here to see if a skilled aquarium owner would want to make an offer for him, otherwise I will be donating him to the Natural Science Center in Greensboro on 2/10. I will handle this as an AUCTION. I will take bids up until 2/9. If you decide you want him, you will need to bring AT LEAST a 3 gallon bucket with you, and make sure it is clean. "

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 11:08 AM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 11:07:12 AM

post on http://www.carolinafishtalk.com as well. You may get more interest there.

2/7/2009 11:27:00 AM

If I still had a tank, I would definitely make an offer...I have a friend in Gboro who is big into fish though & will see if he's interested

2/7/2009 11:30:55 AM

I have taken really good care of him, and he has pretty much doubled in size since i first got him. But like I said in the post, he is only good for experienced aquarium owners. Very low maintenance for the most part, but you have to understand the breed to be able to take adequate care of him, as well as protect the other fish that may already be in your tank.

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 11:47:06 AM

we just had one die

he stopped eating .. my roommate tried everything but he didnt eat a bite for over a month

2/7/2009 3:23:23 PM

Frank Dreben

2/7/2009 3:28:30 PM

Poor guy must be cramped.

And they're not poisonous, they're venomous.

2/7/2009 6:19:40 PM

you know what I meant

2/7/2009 6:23:27 PM

you should probably learn what kind of fish you have. That is not a volitans lion, that is russel's lion and if he's 9 inches then I'd say he's full grown since they only reach about 12 inches max in the wild. did you also already talk to the Gboro place? a lot of places won't take fish anymore

2/7/2009 10:43:29 PM

Well first of all, you are wrong. It is not a Russell's Lionfish, it is a Volitans Lionfish as i first stated in my original post. I agree that they look very similar, but maybe you aren't getting a good enough look at it from my pictures. Note the spot on his gill. Russell's Lions have no spots, hence their nickname of "Spotless Lionfish". Trust me, it's a Volitans, but thanks for coming out. And they get up to about 15.0 inches in the wild

Yes, I too have the Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes, and I have had saltwater tanks for the better part of 15 years.

The Science Center in Greensboro is going to take him after they get a sample of my water on Monday.

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 10:53 PM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 10:49:05 PM

haha, you are so completely wrong. You're pictures CLEARLY show an abscence of spotting on the fins, which is the most obvious sign that you have russel's and not volitans. and if you obvious can't even see that try looking at an online identification guide... here i'll post one for you.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/index.php

I too keep tanks, AND I work and take care of SW tanks for a living.

2/7/2009 10:53:18 PM

you are wrong my man, it is not a Russell's, and I don't care what you do for a living. you are still wrong in this case

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 10:55 PM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 10:54:10 PM

go post a pic on RC and we'll see who is right

2/7/2009 10:55:00 PM

So you are saying that the aquarium store is lying to me? they do it for a living too

dude, it's ok to be wrong. maybe if you came and looked at him in person you would have a different opinion. might just be hard to see from the pictures

but it's a Volitans

2/7/2009 10:56:19 PM

it's getting catty in here

2/7/2009 10:57:09 PM

no, i'm saying that many LFS don't know WTF they are talking about and the wholesalers don't give a shit. lots of shit comes mislabeled

I'm not trying to be an ass, but it does annoy me since 90% of people can't separate the two and they are often confused, even by LFS employees. The lack of spotting on the pectoral, caudal, and anal fin is a dead giveaway you have russeli, also the webbing and banding on the dorsal spines

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 10:58 PM. Reason : .]

2/7/2009 10:57:16 PM

like you

2/7/2009 10:57:34 PM

you can't honestly go look at that ID guide and still say you have volitans can you?

2/7/2009 10:59:39 PM

you can't honestly care this much about it can you?

2/7/2009 11:00:10 PM

no, just being a stickler now

2/7/2009 11:00:40 PM

But to answer your question, yes I can look in the guide book where it has the pictures of a Russell's and a Volitans side by side and see that I have a Volitans. But, again, it could just be the pictures in the guide. Mine looks more like a Volitans for several reasons.

Could I be wrong? Sure. Could the fish store be wrong? Sure. Could the Marine Biologist at the Natural Science Center be wrong? Sure. Could you be wrong? Sure. Does it make THAT big of a difference either way? Nope.

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 11:05 PM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 11:04:50 PM

Damn, that is a pimp-ass fish. I wish I could have something like that in my house.

Not to hijack your thread, but are how tough/time consuming are saltwater aquariums?

2/7/2009 11:19:30 PM

I prefer saltwater to freshwater by far. Once you get them set up and cycled, they are pretty much maintenance free as long as you do frequent water changes. They don't get that nasty green shit that you get in freshwater. Plus the variety of fish/other aquatic animals that you can put in them is much better than in freshwater. The fish themselves can get pretty pricey though, depending on how far you want to go with it.

Now with that being said, it all depends on how far you want to take it. If you just want a simple tank with a few colorful fish, maybe some invertebrates, then it's pretty easy. If you are looking to set up a reef, then it can get complicated (and expensive).

[Edited on February 7, 2009 at 11:27 PM. Reason : a]

2/7/2009 11:25:29 PM

P. russelli
Notice clear caudal, anal, and dorsal fins and the webbing to the pectoral fins


P. volitan
spottign on caudal, anal, and dorsal fins combined with individually webbed pectoral fins


thats my last post. Goodluck finding the guy a home (and Id does matter as it means getting a fullgrown fish versus one that will put on another 3-4 inches). Just trying to clear up probably the most common misidentification regarding these two fish in the trade

2/7/2009 11:44:14 PM

both of those pictures look exactly the same to me

anyone else?

2/8/2009 12:10:39 AM

hehe yea they both say no hotlinking.

bump for fish nerd talk

2/9/2009 11:28:33 AM

I haven't heard back from the Science Center but I found someone that is going to take him off my hands. I decided it wouldn't be right to take any money for him so I told the guy he could just have him.

2/10/2009 9:44:44 AM

apparently they're quite tasty--or so the internets tell me

2/10/2009 1:33:13 PM

that is a badass fish. i love aquatic life, but no time .

2/10/2009 1:47:37 PM

i think i like the idea of giving a fish away for free to a good home rather than accepting money for it anyways.

so like have you ever gotten stung? how does a lionfish sting you anyway? does it jab you with one of those spiny looking fins? if its pissed does it like rush toward you full speed with a spine sticking out? what does it feel like? kinda numb or tingly?

ill never own one of these guys but im still interested heh

2/10/2009 1:57:47 PM

He won't sting me. when i put my hand in the tank he puts his stingers back because he knows I feed him. But when we were moving him over here he stung my dad pretty bad. My dad's fingers swelled up and he said it hurt like hell.

2/10/2009 2:29:10 PM

Depending on the serverity of the sting it will be like a bee/wasp sting possibly escalating to more server symptons such as numbing of the entire area (usually the arm), burning, throbbing etc if not treated quickly.

Usually just some hot water for a while and some allergy meds can get it under control quick enough. Going to the ER wouldnt really help much cause if you tell them "I was stung by a lionfish" they are prolly going to look at you and go "A what?".

One of my tanks I service has 3 full grown volitans in it (500 gallon), and most of my fish-only tanks have a lion in them, and I have never come close to being stung. It is a defensive measure on their part, so unless you are intentionally trying to piss it off then it will usually leave you alone. I usually use a spotter though in the 500g tank since there are 3 of them and I have to service it from the top.

2/10/2009 2:35:53 PM

It blows my mind how intelligent these little fuckers are though. He is almost like a dog. He recognizes me when I walk into the room. Sits there and watches me when I am on the computer, etc etc. Like I said, I hate getting rid of him, but it's just not right keeping him confined in such a small tank

2/10/2009 4:48:34 PM

I am donating him to the Natural Science Center next week. They are VERY excited about it. It was by far the best decision. My nephews go there all the time, and they can show him to their friends and say "that was my Pappy's fish". They are going to put a plaque on the tank that says "Donated in the Loving Memory of Rick Stine". (my dad).

AWESOME

2/12/2009 11:17:11 AM

awwwwwww!

2/12/2009 11:22:45 AM

good call with the donation.



[Edited on February 12, 2009 at 11:50 AM. Reason : hj]

2/12/2009 11:50:03 AM

that was my plan all along, but they were taking FOREVER to get back to me. And I have to be out of here by the end of February, so I had to keep my options open

2/12/2009 11:51:35 AM

i will go and look at your fish.

2/12/2009 1:45:58 PM

the lionfish lives on!

2/12/2009 3:45:17 PM